Sorry, Wrong Admirer
by Wings of Jade
Summary: Hayashi Kano(OC)has taken a very 'deep' interest in Kinomoto Sakura, the singer, and insists that she love him. Trouble is, she already fell in love with his assistant, Li Syaoran. AU, R&R! Lame summary, but the story is much better! FINISHED
1. Part 1

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Author's Note: YAY! I actually got a good idea now! Heehee…I was watching this little drama thingy and POOF! Story idea in action…please do not flame. ^^ Oh yeah, and this _will_ be a rather long story…I think. Syaoran and Sakura are slightly OOC.

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Disclaimer: You should know by now that I do not own CCS. The only character that I own here is Hayashi Kano.

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Sorry, Wrong Admirer

By: Wings of Jade

He watched her every move, her every dance, and listened to every song. He clapped at the end of each number. "Beautiful!" he exclaimed. A young boy at his side smirked.

"Did you see another girl you want, Hayashi-sama?" he asked. Mr. Hayashi laughed, his great belly bouncing up and down.

"Of course, Syaoran," he cried. "I'm always looking for girls like _her_." He jabbed a stubby thumb at the girl on stage. Syaoran's amber-hue eyes rolled in his sockets.

"Indeed." Mr. Hayashi ignored him, still watching the girl in fascination, his eyes sliding up and down her figure. Syaoran yawned. Working for Hayashi Kano was terribly boring, because all you did was stand beside him and make comments every once in a while, while he observed some gorgeous girl.

Hayashi Kano was a very rich man, so naturally, he was quite lazy. He had a great big stomach, flabby features, and his voice was deep. He was almost bald and losing hair, because he was in his late forties.

"Say, Hayashi-sama," Syaoran said finally, unable to contain himself any longer. The boredom was overwhelming.

"Yes, Syaoran-san?"

"Do you want to give her the flowers?" Mr. Hayashi paused, thinking. Each time, Syaoran would ask him if he cared to give a girl flowers. It usually didn't happen unless if she was truly captivating to Mr. Hayashi.

"Yes," he answered confidently. "I want _her_." He licked his lips. "And make sure she gets the fresh red roses, not the ugly wilted ones with thorns. Maybe add a few daisies, forget-me-nots, bluebells, and those little white flowers with the frilly petals." Syaoran turned on his heel.

"Yes sir."

Moments later, he returned with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, with roses, daisies, forget-me-nots, bluebells, and a million other flowers. Mr. Hayashi nodded in approval.

"Excellent, Syaoran." He dug his finger into his shoulder, and Syaoran winced. "I knew I didn't make a mistake when I hired _you_!" He laughed and let out a belch. "Well, ex_cuse_ me," he chortled. Syaoran rolled his eyes again.

"When shall I deliver them to her?" Mr. Hayashi thought again.

"Deliver them when she is almost done."

"Right." So, Syaoran stood stupidly at Mr. Hayashi's side while he watched the girl with him. He had to admit, the girl _was_ something.

"Now!" barked Mr. Hayashi suddenly.

"What?" said Syaoran stupidly.

"Deliver them now, boy! She's going to be done in thirty seconds!"

"Yes sir," replied Syaoran, and immediately removed himself from Mr. Hayashi's side, from the balcony, and downstairs, where the girl was dancing and singing. Syaoran found it difficult to squeeze through the crowd, because at least half of them were drunk and swinging their arms like gorillas, and they kept bumping into Syaoran. People threw their arms up and boogied to the singer's music. Girls were shaking their bodies as if there was no tomorrow. The daisies were practically flattened.

Finally, he approached the stage, still clutching the flowers, his face flushed, his hair tousled. He climbed the stairs and towards her…

~*~

The girl singing and dancing on stage noticed the boy coming for her. He was holding a half-squished bouquet of flowers, and seemed reluctant to go near her. The girl smiled, ignored him, and danced on. Her auburn hair flew in all directions, her smile made the dark room brighter, and her body—moving like crazy, dancing like hell, yet her moves all made sense, they all seemed to blend together.

_Sakura, Sakura,_ said an annoying voice in her head. _You're making a complete **fool** of yourself_. Sakura shook her hips. Her arms were above her head. Her lips were singing. _That's what it's all about_.

As he grew closer and closer, Sakura couldn't help but notice that he seemed quite shy. _He didn't seem so shy when he was up with that great big fat guy_, thought Sakura. _He's cute, too_. Sakura's dancing subsided slightly. _If I spin right into him, I will **never** forgive myself_.

But she did. Sakura spun right into him, without noticing it, before she even started to calm down a bit. A couple of people laughed. Sakura swept a curtain of hair out of her eyes, blinked back a bead of perspiration. She smiled again at the guy as he handed over the bouquet, his dark eyes never leaving her green ones. She snatched the flowers out of his hand playfully and leaned close to his ear.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice rather oily and breathy. Without thinking, she took a dive into his surprised, bright eyes, pushed into him, and gently touched his lips with hers. She slipped her tongue in for a nanosecond before pushing him off the stage and dancing again, but she never let go of her flowers.

~*~

Stunned, Syaoran stumbled when she pushed him off the stage. His body collided with several swinging people before he regained his balance. He traced his lips with his finger, reliving the moment when he had felt her lips.

__

She had kissed him.

A girl had never kissed him in his life; or at least a girl close to his _age_. It was unbelievable, even if it was only for a second.

__

And her tongue had touched his.

Slightly giddy, he tottered back upstairs to where Mr. Hayashi was sitting. Mr. Hayashi did not seem very happy. Syaoran's grin, which he been wearing when he had run through his thoughts, faded.

"She's something," began Mr. Hayashi, eyes narrowing at Syaoran. "Yeah, she's something. She's yummy. I want to touch her. But—"—he pointed his finger at Syaoran—"That gives you _no_ reason to touch her too. Why did you tell her to kiss you, boy? Was that part of your instructions?" Syaoran's smile was replaced by an angry frown.

"I didn't kiss _her_. _She_ kissed _me_."

"Whatever!" roared Mr. Hayashi. "You keep away from her from now on, you understand?" Syaoran flinched. Mr. Hayashi had never been that obsessed with a girl before.

"Yes—Yes sir," said Syaoran meekly.

~*~

When Sakura returned to her hotel room that night, she kept thinking of the boy who had handed her flowers. He was actually quite cute, now that she thought of it…

She still had her flowers. Setting by her bedside table, she gazed at them for a long time. So beautiful…

"Kinomoto-sama?" Sakura looked up. A girl was standing there in a uniform, and she was holding a letter.

"Yes?"

"This just arrived in the mail for you. The man said that it was most important that you read it." Sakura frowned, but she took the letter.

"_Arigatou_. Thank you for coming here."

"No problem," replied the girl, bowing, and left.

Sakura studied the letter. It was in an envelope, messily and hastily sealed. She slit it open and a piece of paper with something stapled to it fell out. She picked it up and read it.

__

Dear Kinomoto Sakura,

I understand that you sing at the local bar. I was wondering if we could get together sometime, as I have taken a deep interest in you. Enclosed is an invitation to **Starplace**, and I hope you accept it. If you do, please meet me there tomorrow night at seven o'clock. 

Sincerely,

Hayashi Kano

P.S. My assistant will be attending also, to do me a few chores. That is, if you decide to come. His name is Li Syaoran, and I beg you to not let him destroy your evening. IF YOU DECIDE TO COME.

Hayashi Kano…Sakura thought she had heard that name before. Hayashi Kano…_Yeah_, thought Sakura, _Isn't he the millionaire businessman? Yeah, Hayashi—that sounds like it._

Sakura had been asked on millions of dates before, just never by someone at least—what, 30 years older than her? Sakura was only 17, for God's sake.

Well…maybe he _was_ lonely. Maybe he was super-sweet, and only wanted one date. He had a _deep interest_ in her, after all…_and he's probably been turned down a lot too, because of his age_. _Maybe I shouldn't turn him down_.

Sakura ripped the invitation off, and sent a letter to the return address telling Mr. Hayashi that she accepted.

~*~

"Wouldn't you know it, Syaoran!" bellowed Mr. Hayashi, sending spit flying into Syaoran's face. Syaoran winced and flicked a speck of saliva from his cheek. "Kinomoto Sakura, the singer, has just accepted my offer!"

"You mean the 'gorgeous' singer that you sent me to deliver the flowers to?" Mr. Hayashi nodded jovially.

"You'll be coming along, of course. I might need you to do something for me, but remember—she is _mine_. If she cared to make my evening even better, I already booked a room upstairs in _Starplace_, so don't even think about stealing her away."

"I won't," said Syaoran in a small voice.

~*~

"You must be Hayashi-sama."

"Yes, yes," replied Mr. Hayashi, looking at Sakura with hungry eyes. He raked her body with them. Sakura felt uncomfortable.

"Well…er…"

"Please come," smiled Mr. Hayashi, gesturing to a small table. Sakura took her seat. Mr. Hayashi had trouble putting his belly under the table. Sakura pretended to look at the menu.

"So—you said your assistant was coming."

"Oh, he is," answered Mr. Hayashi immediately. "He's—uh—paying for the parking." Sakura nodded. She looked over Mr. Hayashi's shoulder. Now she wished she hadn't accepted.

When she had first come in, a person had been at the door, greeting the people coming in, and filling them out on information on the restaurant. Now she was talking to a brown-haired boy.

"What do you mean, you're looking for Hayashi Kano?" she questioned. "We're not a search engine, okay?"

"But he booked a seat," insisted the boy. "He's here."

"Try over there." The girl pointed in Sakura's direction. The boy sighed and turned around. Sakura recognized him at once. The boy who had delivered her flowers!

His amber eyes perused the many tables, finally resting on Sakura. Then they traveled to Mr. Hayashi, and he made for him.

"Hayashi-sama," he said. Mr. Hayashi didn't look too happy.

"Er—Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"This is my assistant—Li Syaoran. You may know him because he was the one that delivered you flowers."

"_Yoroshi_," Sakura said, smiling and putting out her hand. Syaoran averted his eyes.

"Nice to meet you too," replied Syaoran quietly, shaking her hand briefly. He returned to Mr. Hayashi's side.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" asked Sakura, surprised.

"No," answered Mr. Hayashi, a little annoyed. "_He_ isn't. _He_ is my assistant." Sakura's eyes snapped back to Mr. Hayashi. She had almost forgotten him.

"Oh."

"What would you like to order?" Sakura shrugged.

"Anything is fine with me. Fish. Ramen. Sushi."

"Ramen, then," said Mr. Hayashi. He clapped his hands, and a waitress came immediately. "Ramen, please," he ordered. "Two."

"_Hai_," replied the waitress, and hurried off.

Sakura thought the evening was quite boring. Mr. Hayashi started off in ridiculous business stories about his company, the food was awful, and she always felt like just running away and join Syaoran or something…

Finally, Mr. Hayashi paid for their dinner, and gave a great belch. He winked at Sakura. "Pardon me," he said, "But I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me upstairs in bed…you know, to make my evening even better…" Sakura almost bolted out of there.

"_Iie_," she answered firmly at once. "I don't think so. I'm too full." 

"Are you sure?" Mr. Hayashi seemed greatly disappointed.

"Yes," replied Sakura sternly.

"Come on, I've had other girls before you, sure, but…" He never got to finish his sentence. Something hard and thorny had slipped inside of Sakura, touching several nerves. She stood up, glared at Mr. Hayashi, and slammed her fists onto the table.

"Hayashi-sama. Mr. Hayashi. I am not interested, and never will be. Leave me _alone_, you understand? I don't want to do anything upstairs, and you wouldn't make me unless you'd like for me to call the police." Sakura was very sensitive about going too far, and Mr. Hayashi was taken aback.

"Okay, okay," he muttered. "I was only asking…" Sakura sat back down and looked at her watch. She looked as if she was late for something

"Sorry, I have to go now," Sakura said tonelessly. "I've got something to do. Here—I'm staying at this hotel." She thrust a card at Mr. Hayashi, nodded to Li Syaoran, and ran out of the restaurant.

~*~

"I wish I hadn't gotten her so angry. I only wanted—"

"You know, Hayashi-sama," said Syaoran loudly, "I don't think I want to hear this. Maybe you should send her an _apology_. It's what we do when we _offend_ a certain person." Mr. Hayashi thought about it.

"Maybe you're right…" Syaoran clenched his teeth. _I **am** right, you buffoon_.

"Okay." Mr. Hayashi clapped his hands together. "I'll send her a card with another bouquet of flowers." (**A/N: -_-;**)

"What this time, sir?" asked Syaoran lamely.

"White roses with white daffodils and white frilly things again with white forget-me-nots."

"Sir?"

"What?"

"There _is_ no such thing as white forget-me-nots. They're always blue."

"Oh. Just white roses then. Without the thorns." Syaoran bowed and left to get the roses. When he returned, he had a large bunch of white flowers in his arms, wrapped in clear paper. Mr. Hayashi nodded in approval.

Soon, Syaoran was taking a taxi and knocking on the hotel door of Kinomoto Sakura's room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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Okay…that was PART 1! If you would like PART 2, REVIEW!


	2. Part 2

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Author's Note: OMG! Thank you SOOOOOOO much! I have never gotten so many reviews for one chapter before! I decided to post up the second chapter early, because I was on a roll…but this may be a little shorter than the previous chapter.

Oh yes, and by the way, OOC means 'out of character'. There will also be lots of dialogue.

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Disclaimer: No, I do not own Card Captor Sakura. I just own the plot, and Hayashi Kano.

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Sorry, Wrong Admirer

By: Wings of Jade

_Knock, knock_.

"Hello?" No answer, but the shuffling of feet sounded. Someone was waiting outside; Sakura wondered who.

"Is anybody there?" Sakura frowned. There was another shuffling of feet. _Why isn't anybody answering?_

"Can you please answer me, whoever you are?" demanded Sakura. "I am getting really impatient here!"

__

Ding dong.

"Who told you to press the doorbell, you goon?" shouted Sakura. "Can you talk?"

The person stopped.

"WILL YOU—" Sakura stopped herself, steam nearly gushing out of ears. "Will you _please_ just answer me?" The person still remained silent.

Sakura grew frustrated. "O_KAY_, now you've _REALLY_—" She never got to finish her sentence as she flung open the door.

"Oops."

"Um…hi," said Li Syaoran.

~*~

Syaoran was a real sucker for girls. Well, at least one _specific_ girl.

He knocked on the door of Kinomoto Sakura's door. He was too nervous to do anything else.

"Hello?" Syaoran shuffled his feet. Suddenly, he grew shy.

"Is anybody there?" It was Sakura again. Syaoran shuffled his feet more. He didn't feel like answering at all. His fingers clenched tightly around the bouquet of flowers.

"Can you please answer me whoever you are?" Sakura sounded impatient. "I am really impatient here!" Okay, Sakura was impatient. Then Syaoran did something totally, strangely, unbelievably _stupid_.

He rang the doorbell.

Sakura blew up.

"Who told you to press the doorbell, you goon?" shouted Sakura. "Can you talk?" Syaoran froze. _You are very stupid, Syaoran_. _Why did you press the doorbell, you 'GOON'?_

"WILL YOU—Will you _please _just answer me?" Syaoran didn't know what to do. Should he answer? His mouth still didn't feel like talking.

"O_KAY_, now you've _REALLY_—" Sakura flung the door open, and she saw Syaoran. Her face went pink.

"Oops."

"Um…hi," said Syaoran. He tried to smile. Sakura's cheeks went a deeper shade of pink.

"Sorry—I didn't—I meant—I—"

"No—_I'm_ sorry. I just didn't feel like answering. I was just waiting for you to open the door. Sorry." Syaoran felt like melting.

"No—I mean—well—waiting—for me—would you like to come in?"

"Er—ah—" Syaoran still didn't know what to do. He thrust out the bouquet of slightly crushed white roses and told her sheepishly, "Hayashi-sama sends his apologies." Sakura stared at the flowers and tried to grin.

"Oh—um—thanks." Sakura reached out for the flowers, but then she withdrew her hands. This was _Hayashi Kano_ Syaoran was talking about! "No—I don't think so." She looked away angrily. Syaoran blinked at her, startled at her sudden change of mind.

"What do you mean, you 'don't think so'?"

"I don't accept his apology. He shouldn't have tried to—you know. He was coming on too early. This sort of thing gets on my nerves so much—it's the number one thing that just gets me off the hook. And I doubt he even _cared_ about _me_. I bet he just wanted to—thing…that's all. And—" Sakura stopped herself and averted her eyes. "Never mind. The bottom point is, apology _un_accepted."

"Are you sure?" asked Syaoran in a low voice. He looked so pathetic. "Hayashi-sama went into a lot of trouble finding white roses specifically…" Mr. Hayashi probably wouldn't be happy if Sakura didn't accept the flowers, so Syaoran had no choice but to beg.

Sakura couldn't help herself. He looked so pitiful! But after what Mr. Hayashi had asked her…

"Well…I'll take the flowers, but I still won't speak to him."

"No way!" cried Syaoran in mock horror. "That's even worse! Take it and say you accept. Please?" he added. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Come in and we'll talk about it." Syaoran sighed and stepped in. Sakura pointed to a comfortable-looking armchair and he sat down. Sakura took her seat on the couch.

"What do you want to talk about?" It was Sakura's turn to sigh.

"Look…I just can't forgive him. You don't know the impact of those words on me. And don't forget, he even said that he had other girls before him. What kind of a person says _that_? Don't you think that'll just make me think he's even more disgusting?" Syaoran shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not a girl. And I'm glad I'm not," he added. Sakura tried to smile.

"Told you, bottom line, no apology. And don't try to persuade me, either," she told him as he opened his mouth. "That'll make it worse."

"Aw, come on," insisted Syaoran. "Take it." He held out the flowers. Sakura shook her head and turned the other way.

"No."

"Don't be ungrateful. Hayashi-sama paid for your dinner."

"I'm not."

"Then take it," Syaoran ordered, thrusting the flowers even nearer to Sakura. Sakura flinched.

"No. I don't want them."

"You're being very mean."

"Then I'm mean."

"You're not supposed to be."

"I don't want them!"

"Take them or Hayashi-sama will call his lawyer and make up some reason to electrocute me!"

"Ha, ha," said Sakura sarcastically. "That was so funny I forgot to laugh."

"No, really. I'm not trying to be funny."

"I'm not either. I'm dead serious when I make a decision. Put them away or I'll kick you out."

"How come you're not kicking me out right now?"

"I'm giving you a chance." Actually, Sakura hadn't planned on kicking Syaoran out; she just didn't want Hayashi's flowers.

"Please, accept Hayashi-sama's apology," pleaded Syaoran. "He didn't mean to hurt your feelings or pride or anything. He's trying to make up for it." Sakura highly doubted that. _He probably wants me to accept his apology, and then make out with him the same night. Businessmen—they're all the same_.

"No," said Sakura flatly. "I…I don't trust him."

"I'm going on bent-knees." Syaoran knelt down in front of Sakura. Sakura had a pained expression in her bright greens.

"No, Syaoran…don't."

"Then take them." He pushed them towards her. Sakura pushed them back. Syaoran was determined to stay until she accepted the white flowers, so he pushed them towards her again.

"No."

"Please."

"Get up."

"No."

"Don't be like that."

"I'll be what I want."

"You've been crouching for an awfully long time."

"I don't care."

"Don't…"

"Take them!" Syaoran persisted, thrusting them at Sakura. She threw them back, but Syaoran caught them and tried again.

"Syaoran, NO!" Syaoran ignored her and pushed them to her chest. Sakura pushed back. Syaoran pushed again. Sakura kept a firm hold on the bouquet of flowers and pushed them towards to Syaoran. Syaoran pushed back. Sakura pushed back. Finally, with the last of her pushing strength, Sakura thrust them towards Syaoran.

Trouble was, Syaoran was using just as much strength to make Sakura accept the apology bouquet.

The flowers ended up crushed, disfigured, messed up, squashed, pinched, crumpled; however you like to put it. When they both pushed at the same time, the flowers were _flattened_, and a weird cracking noise came from the bouquet. It just went limp and slipped from Syaoran and Sakura's fingers, and they ended up pushing each other. Syaoran had somehow gotten on top of Sakura on the couch, his hands firmly around Sakura's shoulders. Sakura had given up.

Syaoran just realized where his hands and body were. _Ooh,_ taunted a small voice in his head. _You're **on top** of **Sakura**, **Syaoran**…_

Shut up. It's not as if I did that on purpose.

Ooh, I don't know…

What the—?

You don't know what I mean?

Well, no, seeing that there's no **meaning** in your words…

Well…maybe you were **pushing** on purpose…maybe you **knew** the **lovely outcome**…

What are you talking about?

Maybe…**just maybe**…

What about 'just maybe'?

You are a big fat dodo-head. There's actually no 'just maybe' about it.

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, YOU STUPID VOICE IN MY HEAD?

Do you **really** want to know?

YES!

You're **in love** with Kinomoto Sakura.

Syaoran froze. Sakura didn't even seem to be _trying_ to get Syaoran off.

__

You are **wrong**. **WRONG**!

Ah, you're the typical Li. You never admit the truth. Oh well, believe what you want, but you can't run away from the truth…

Shut up! Just SHUT UP!

"But I'm not saying anything," said Sakura, puzzled. Syaoran blushed. He must have said that out loud!

"Sorry," he muttered. "Just…just my conscience, ignore it…"

__

Tuh; some conscience. If I had eyes, I'd roll them.

Syaoran ignored the voice.

"Um…_gomen_, Sakura. I'll—I'll get off now."

"It's okay—um…you don't have to."

"What?" Syaoran's alarmed dark eyes widened in shock. "Do you expect me to stay?" A smile was playing across Sakura's lips.

"I don't know," she said, half-giggling. "I don't even know what I just said." Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"Sure," he grunted. "I'll go now."

"Hold on, your bouquet of flowers," reminded Sakura, retrieving the now unidentifiable object from underneath her. Syaoran gave a muffled laugh.

"Oh yeah, that. You can keep it."

"No take—" Sakura didn't get to finish _that_ sentence either. She had been teetering on the edge of the bed for a long time, and she grabbed Syaoran's arm as a balance, but—

"AAAAARRRRRGH!" They toppled painfully onto the floor. Syaoran had been alarmed at the extra weight on his arm, and he wanted to shake it off, which made Sakura fall onto the floor, pulling him down with her. Once again, they were in an awkward position.

"Why does this keep happening?" Syaoran groaned. "My spine is killing me." Sakura shrugged. To her surprise, she didn't mind having Syaoran on top of her.

"Maybe it's kismet."

"Do you want me to get up so you can escape?"

"I don't know…" Sakura was half-laughing again. "Maybe I don't mind." _Maybe **you** don't mind either, Syaoran_.

Before he knew it, Syaoran was tracing his finger around Sakura's chin. "You're very beautiful," he whispered before thinking. "_Very_." Sakura's eyelashes fluttered, and her heart started going a mile a minute. _Where did **that** come from Syaoran?_ Sakura remembered the night when she first met Syaoran. She had taken a dive into his dark, seductive eyes, and kissed him. _Why not now?_

She faced upwards. Her eyes searched Syaoran's, as if reading his mind. He was so shy when he was delivering Hayashi's apology…now he seemed so sure of himself…well…sort of.

"You know what, Syaoran?" she breathed into his ear.

"Hm?" was his hazy reply.

"I think I love you."

When their lips met for the second time in an innocent, sweet, and sincere kiss, when the distance between their bodies were closing, when Sakura could feel Syaoran's breath send a thrill through her skin, he told her, "Same here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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OOOOOOOOOOH…I think I can sense the corniness tonight…yes, I agree that this was very badly written. Well, review anyway! ;D


	3. Part 3

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Author's Note: HELLOOOOO! It is I, back again! Since I updated 'I Choose Sakura', I might as well update this. Just one last reminder: this will be the last chapter in this story. I know this is short, but don't you agree that there are long chapters? And for the last time, these are actually **_PARTS_**, and **NOT CHAPTERS!**

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, and this is for entertainment purposes only.

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Sorry, Wrong Admirer

By: Wings of Jade

A week later, Mr. Hayashi called Syaoran to his office.

"Did she accept?" he asked anxiously. Syaoran shrugged. He was getting tired of working for Mr. Hayashi.

"_Iie_," he replied simply. Mr. Hayashi turned a deep purple hue.

"_WHAT_?"

"_Iie_. No. You just went too far, Hayashi-sama. She wasn't ready, and she just doesn't like you. You've already had fun with other girls, and Sakura just can't like men like you, who treat women as if they were toys. I tried to persuade her, but she seemed pretty determined not to take the flowers. She let me stay, though. That's why you haven't been able to reach me for so long. _Gomen_." Mr. Hayashi's purple complexion was quickly mixed with a dark red and green. He stood up and stared at Syaoran right in the eyes. Syaoran didn't flinch. It was as if a dramatic change had risen in him.

"First of all, you don't talk to me like that." His breath smelled like mouthwash. Syaoran could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.

"Did I ask you to give me _your_ opinion about me? Did I? No. You do what you're told to do. You don't talk back to me all smart alecky and rudely. _Nobody_ talks to be like that, you understand? And I _don't _treat women as if they were toys."

"You're treating Sakura like a toy," interrupted Syaoran. "At least that's what she feels like at the moment."

"SILENCE!" roared Mr. Hayashi, spit flying from his mouth. "I THOUGHT I JUST TOLD YOU NOT TO ANSWER BACK TO ME THAT WAY!" Syaoran still did not flinch. Mr. Hayashi forced himself to remain calm. Not getting the most beautiful girl of his dreams was too much for him.

"Secondly," he said dangerously, "I thought I told you to stay there until she accepted."

"You _thought_," retorted Syaoran just as dangerously. "You _thought_."

"SHUT YOUR STINKIN' HOLE!" bellowed Mr. Hayashi. "DON'T MAKE ME USE R-RATED DIALOGUE!" His face had no trace of skin colour anymore, all replaced by red, and his chubby fingers were clenched into fists. Syaoran knew he was taking risks by defying Hayashi Kano, but he had had enough of going back and forth between him and Sakura. Besides, how can you let someone else win the girl of your dreams's love? Syaoran told himself, _Still, just listen and don't get yourself into trouble._

"I told you," said Mr. Hayashi loudly, "To return with Sakura." He had said no such thing, of course, but he was mega-angry at Syaoran for not following instructions. "And lookie here; you don't even have the bouquet of flowers! I bet you sold them or something."

"_Iie_," Syaoran replied calmly. "She threw them away. I guess she just doesn't want to accept _your_ apology."

"SYAORAN!"

"Yes, sir, you called me?"

"DON'T TRY PLAYING YOUR SMART ALECK GAMES WITH ME! STOP SAYING _IIE_!"

__

You know, said a sudden voice in Syaoran's head(that was happened more and more often too), _Hayashi-sama **could** fire you for making him this mad. Then you'd be without a job._ Syaoran chose to ignore it.

Mr. Hayashi was breathing very deeply. He forced himself, again, to remain calm. He even unclenched his fists. A few violent purples and greens disappeared from his complexion. He had been gritting his teeth, and he slackened his jaw. Then he did something that finally made Syaoran squirm.

He smiled evilly at him.

"Third of all," he told Syaoran slowly, enunciating each syllable clearly, "You're fired, you stinking _baka_."

__

I told you.

"What?" Syaoran cried, against his will.

Mr. Hayashi's smile grew wider, his expression eviler.

"I told you," he repeated. "You're fired, you stinking _baka_. Nobody defies me like that and gets away with it. You're fired."

__

I told you...and he even called you a **baka**. Tsk, tsk.

Mr. Hayashi flexed his fingers and leaned back in his chair, tilting it so that his feet rested comfortably against his wooden desk. "Oh _yes_," he grunted suddenly, "That felt _good_. _Good_...I miss the days where you could just throw people out the window and get over it, but this is _so_ much better; you get to witness it personally!" He laughed nastily. Syaoran was standing there, struck dumb. The voice kept saying, _I told you, I told you, I told you_...

"Well?" barked Mr. Hayashi. "What are you doing here, stupid? GET OUT!"

"Y-Yes sir," stammered Syaoran. "Yes, sir." Syaoran bowed and turned away. _I really shouldn't have flapped my mouth_, thought Syaoran bitterly. _Now how am I going to survive?_ A china statue sailed over his head, narrowly missed his temple. It shattered against the door, bursting into a million tiny pieces. Syaoran whirled around. Mr. Hayashi was still smiling his devilish grin.

"By the way," he said. "Don't call me sir again." He chucked another china figure at him. Syaoran ducked. He felt the tiny pieces explode over his head.

"Hayashi-sama," Syaoran said lamely. "Your china figures." Mr. Hayashi shrugged.

"I don't care. I can always buy more." _It was fair for him to fire me,_ thought Syaoran angrily, _But that gives him no right to **throw** things at me while I'm leaving, the bastard._ Syaoran glared at Mr. Hayashi, stomped out of his office, and slammed the door dramatically. _Little asshole. I hope you rot in your own friggin' filth_.

~*~

"Syaoran?" Sakura had been waiting outside Syaoran's workplace for hours. She hadn't expected him to come out early. He seemed as if he was in a bad mood. "Syaoran!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt. He turned around wearily.

"Hi, Sakura-chan," he muttered. "_Gomen_."

"What's wrong? _Daijoubu ka_?"

"Of course I'm not okay," snapped Syaoran viciously. Sakura withdrew her hand, alarmed at Syaoran's sudden outburst. Then he sighed and patted Sakura's shoulder.

"_Gomen_, Sakura. I'm sorry I snapped at you like that."

"It's okay," replied Sakura. "Tell me what happened."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to. Maybe I don't care about it anyway."

~*~

"He _what_?"

"He fired me," Syaoran repeated calmly. "And I don't care."

"He _fired _you?" Sakura asked in incredulity.

"_Hai_," sighed Syaoran.

"But that means you have no job anymore," stated Sakura, twining her fingers into Syaoran's. Syaoran sighed again.

"I know," he replied heavily, "But I think I can live. I'll just have to find another one. It might be difficult and everything, because _everybody's_ looking for a job these days, but I'll try." Sakura was silent for a moment.

"Maybe I can find one for you," she said eventually. 

Syaoran snorted. "Yeah, right. Everywhere's full now, you know." Sakura shook her head. 

"I don't think so," she replied. "How about we work together? I think I can get my manager to let you do some things backstage, to prepare me for singing." Syaoran made a disbelieving noise, but a spark of hope had risen inside of him.

"Really?" Sakura shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but I can try persuading him." Syaoran gave her a tight smile. To make things a little less miserable, Sakura added, "And if he doesn't, I'll be after him." Syaoran laughed.

"That makes me feel better," he said. "Listen, how about I make some noodles?" Sakura returned his laugh with a smile, her jade eyes twinkling merrily.

"Sure. Sounds good to me. Only let me do the cooking part."

~*~

A knock sounded at the door two days after Mr. Hayashi fired Syaoran. He slurped up the rest of his lunch, dabbed his face with a napkin, and gave an almighty belch. He patted his large stomach fondly. "Come in," he called. A young lady pushed the door open, her head down. Her eyes were usually quite cheery, but this time they seemed abnormally dark. (**A/N: I think everybody knows how Rika looks like now, right? If not, then I'm not launching into a description.**)

"Rika-san," greeted Mr. Hayashi fondly. "What do you have here?" Rika still kept her eyes down.

"Hayashi-sama," she replied quietly. "I think we've got a problem." She had an envelope in her hand, and she took out the contents for Mr. Hayashi to see. "I think we've got a big problem." Mr. Hayashi look over the remains of his lunch to observe the papers.

"Sorry, Rika," he grunted. "I don't have my glasses here. I can't read nothing." Rika resisted the urge to correct him.

"This here is a graph that represents..." Mr. Hayashi stopped her in mid-sentence.

"Just revert to plain Japanese, okay? I can't understand all that mathematical crap." Rika rolled her eyes. The language that she was going to use was in fact not mathematical at all, but she obeyed anyway.

"We're out of business," Rika shot at him. "Is that plain enough for you?" It took several seconds for the impact of the words to register.

"_WHAT_?"

"We're _out of business_," repeated Rika slowly, staring at Mr. Hayashi dead in the eye. "Do you hear me now?"

"We _can't_ be! This is impossible! I checked the stocks myself!"

"The last time you checked it was three months ago."

"SILENCE!" roared Mr. Hayashi, tearing his hair out furiously. Rika chose to ignore his order. What use was obeying Mr. Hayashi now if they were out of business?

"Would you like me to tell you what happened?" Rika asked politely. She pointed to the graph again. Mr. Hayashi listened in horror as she explained what had caused them to go bankrupt; no workers, no more stock, etc....

"So," concluded Rika, gathering all the papers together, "We're out of business. You've been firing people like crazy in the last three days, but not hiring new ones. You haven't even bothered to check the stock daily, so we've got none. So, we're gone. Or rather, _you're_ gone." Mr. Hayashi purpled.

"DO _NOT_ SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! I AM HAYASHI KANO! I AM STILL HAYASHI KANO! I AM A MILLIONAIRE! I AM RICH AND FAMOUS! I AM A HIGHER CLASS THAN YOU! YOU SHOULD BE CALLING ME 'HAYASHI-SENSEI'!" he screamed. Rika smiled, shaking her head. She had waited for the day to get back at Mr. Hayashi. She hated everything about him, and he treated her like a touching post. Well, he _tried_ to touch her, but she wouldn't permit it.

"Not anymore," said Rika calmly. "I told you. You're gone, Hayashi Kano. Long gone."

"SHUT UP!" screeched Hayashi. "LIAR! LIAR!" Mr. Hayashi was losing his mind. One of the reasons he thought himself God's gift to women was that he was rich and famous and successful. Never mind that he was unattractive, he had money! Now he was going to end up bankrupt, with everything taken away(he had actually _listened_ to Rika's lecture), but he would still be famous...just humiliated in the newspapers.

"THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!" roared Mr. Hayashi. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" He jumped to his feet and began waving his arms wildly, yelling unbelievable and illegible swear words to the air. Then he collapsed. Mr. Hayashi collapsed, sobbing, onto his desk. "I have nothing now," he wept. "Nothing."

Despite her hatred of Hayashi Kano, Rika found herself feeling sorry for him. Because of one little mistake, he had gone down in a space of three days. (**A/N: Sorry! Just wanted to tell you: if you feel that this is unrealistic, keep in mind that this is Alternate Universe!**) _Oh well,_ she thought grimly._ That's **his** problem. I'm off to solve my own_. She gave Mr. Hayashi a brief salute.

"Good luck, Hayashi," she said. "But I doubt it'll ever come." With that elegant parting phrase, Rika opened the door and walked out.

~*~

Sakura waited with pleading eyes, her fists clenched behind her back, hoping, hoping...Syaoran was in a relative pose, biting his lip, waiting, waiting...

"Well..." Sakura's manager scratched his bald head. His squinty little eyes were thinking as well as his brain. Sakura and Syaoran said nothing, still waiting and hoping.

"I don't know..." Sakura's features were beginning to twist into a whining expression.

"Maybe..." They twisted back into hopeful mode.

"But..." They went back to a whining expression.

"Okay, okay..." They were hopeful again.

"Except..." Whining.

"But maybe..." Hopeful.

"Wait a minute..." Whining.

"Yeah, I guess..." Hopeful.

"Just that..." Whining.

"Okay!" declared Sakura's manager. "Syaoran can work backstage!" Sakura's face broke into a brilliant smile.

"Really?"

"Really!" he replied. "And I'll give your boyfriend good pay, too!" Sakura was practically bouncing up and down by now.

"_Arigato, arigato, arigato, arigato, arigato_, Tsuki-sama!"

"No problem, Sakura-san," said Mr. Tsuki. Sakura threw her arms around Syaoran and hugged him tightly. In three seconds his face was turning purple.

"Sah-koo-rah," he choked hoarsely. "You can let go now." Sakura just hugged him even tighter before letting go.

"This is so cool!" she squealed. "When can he start, Tsuki-sama?"

"Today!" answered Tsuki. Sakura started jumping around and hugged everything, including the lava lamp sitting on her manager's desk and his special feather pen. Syaoran watched in amusement.

"I think tomorrow would be better," said Syaoran finally, grabbed Sakura's arm. To her he added, "And I should be happy, not you, so don't you be happy for me or you'll be throttling the Mona Lisa in a week."

"Sorry," squeaked Sakura, "But I'm just so happy for you!" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Syaoran smiled.

"Okay, this calls for a celebration. Let's have some noodles!" Sakura arranged her face into a puzzled look.

"But I just thought we had noodles an hour ago..." Syaoran shrugged.

"Okay. JUNK FOOD!"

~*~

Sakura curled up beside Syaoran, like a contented cat. Syaoran absent-mindedly stroked her hair. Then she squealed again.

"I'm so happy for you, Syaoran!" Syaoran laughed.

"I know, huh?" He fixed his dark eyes onto her green ones. Sakura looked away. She'd get too caught up in them and...never mind. She nuzzled him.

"We're all happy now, aren't we?" she said softly. Syaoran nodded.

"I guess so," he answered, cupping her chin.

"Does this mean we'll live happily ever after?" asked Sakura playfully, her voice childish and adorable. Syaoran was laughing again. _Sakura, Sakura_, he thought in amusement.

"I believe it does," he replied, and kissed her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

YAY! FINALLY! The last chapter done! I hope you enjoyed it! It's a little shorter than the other ones, probably less exciting, but this is the ENDING after all! REVIEW!


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